BRULE-ST. CROIX CHAPTER
About twenty-five years ago BOB NORLIN's dad retired at age 65. Twenty-five years ago, the North Country Trail was not a National Scenic Trail. But it was the name of a trail through the Chequamegon National Forest of Wisconsin. Bob's dad would ski the five miles to the trail, eat his lunch and ski home. He kept trying to get Bob to join him, but Bob hesitated... "I didn't want to be out-skiied by a 65-year-old," he quiped. In just a few years the NCT had bequeathed its name to the national trail and Bob was out on the path, often with a pair of clippers in his pocket to do a bit of spontaneous maintenance. But Norlin, like many local folk near Iron River wasn't really aware that the trail had joined the National Scenic Trail system. Just two years ago Bob was searching the internet for hiking trails and discovered the NCTA. He joined immediately and has a passion for extending the trail corridor through the Wisconsin woods. Anyone familiar with the Chequamegon will recognize "County Road A" as the end of the trail. Not any more! Norlin has been almost single-handedly building trail westward. He has nearly two miles of trail finished, and reports that as soon as he reaches a stretch which joins a county trail he only has to mow and there will suddenly be four new miles of trail instead of two! After that, there are about five miles to go and the new trail will connect with the western section which is already under construction. Will Wisconsin be the first state completed? Semi-retired from a company which installs industrial wood-burning systems, he finds many available hours for trail work, "and it's only fifteen minutes away from home," he commented with quiet satisfaction. Bob laments that it is often difficult to infect his Northwoods friends with his enthusiasm for the Trail. Many people tend to take it for granted, still assuming that the NCT is the responsibility of the Forest Service, and is a local trail. He hopes to educate people about the larger picture. One way he is accomplishing this is by hanging a laminated NCTA poster on the trail. Bob reports that this has resulted in quite a few comments. We've also heard that "he's seen everywhere in his blue NCTA hat." With understated humor, Norlin calls trail work "better than sitting on the couch!" Hooray for staying off that couch, Bob!
SPIRIT OF THE WOODS CHAPTER
Twenty-five years from now ED CHAPPEL's kids and grandkids may be telling a similar story of being coaxed to the Trail. Chappel retired from Ford Motor Company where he was manager of the Dimensional Control Department of Engineering. Ed describes his years in the city as "giving up a part of my life." On retiring, he and his wife, Nan, headed for the Michigan woods. They discovered the NCT near their new home and then stopped at the Freesoil Trailhead in the Manistee National Forest. "Let's go for a walk," he said. Within 100 yards he had seen a porcupine; "I was hooked right then," he admits. Just two weeks later his trail introduction was reinforced when he saw an article in the paper about forming a new local chapter of the NCTA, and the first activity was a hike. The grandkids were visiting, and Ed was concerned that the hike might be too long for them so he and Nan took their own hike on the trail that same day. Those kids, of course, did fine! Next, Ed and Nan came to the chapter's start-up meeting, and he was quickly thrust into the role of Treasurer. When the chapter took on the daunting task of building a 600-foot boardwalk in their first year of existence, Ed was one of the mainstays of the organizational and construction crews. The project was completed on time and Ed is pleased to have been able to put in many hours toward reaching that goal. He rather plaintively added, "But it's done." He and Nan are always eager to bring the family along. "When the grandkids see stuff along the trail and get excited it brings tears to my eyes," he admits. "Trails are a tremendous way for young people to see nature." Ed was raised on a farm, was a Boy Scout, and has always loved being outdoors. "Trails give us a way to get closer to nature, and that's a way to get closer to God where He can share with us." Ed has a goal to hike all of the NCT in Michigan. He has dreams of forming mobile work teams to help other chapters. He fills in wherever he is needed in his own chapter, and received the Volunteer of the Year award, 2000, for Spirit of the Woods. Don't worry about the boardwalk being finished, Ed, we're sure there is more trail work for you to do!
NCTA HEADQUARTERS
CHAR CHANDLER enjoys working with the people in the NCTA office and it's a good thing she does! If you've never visited the NCTA office in downtown Grand Rapids it may be difficult to visualize the amount of activity which is packed into one small space. The National Office gives local chapters real "bang for the buck, " and Char is part of the team that makes it all happen. She's been volunteering at the office for as long as Bob Papp has been Executive Director. This sequence is explained by the fact that she also assisted Bob at the Blandford Nature Center where he previously worked. When Bob came to the NCTA, Char said to him, "Let me know if I can help." "Well, Bob never forgets something like that!" she assured me. Another staffer tells it this way, "When Bob was hired, one of his first calls was to Char." Every Monday, so regularly that the staff checks the time by her arrival, Char comes in to prepare the week's deposits for the bank and record the revenues. In the five years she has been volunteering, the Association has grown from 6 to 21 chapters, so this task is an ever-increasing challenge. "I first learned about the Trail from my cousin, Ginny," Chandler explained. That's Ginny Wunsch, a familiar name to all NCT old-timers! As the NCTA outgrew the Wunsch kitchen (remember those hand-written notes?) Ginny recruited Char to answer the phone two days a week. Amazingly, the current office space is not much larger than Ginny's kitchen, but houses five workstations, multiple office machines, the Trail Shop and a constant hum of activity. The portion of this activity which is Char's domain is as necessary a piece of trail work as that done by the guys whose stories appear above. Char says the accounts are "more my line than slinging a hammer!" She is retired from working in Accounts Receivable at Bignall Metal Supply. Char volunteers for several other organizations as well, including her church and the Blandford Nature Center. She is a dedicated member of the Audubon Society. She joined that group when it was first reactivated after World War II in 1951, and is one of the few remaining charter members. Full-time volunteer is a good description of Char and we appreciate her ability to tally those growing figures as the Association grows in support of the North Country Trail.